U.S. Forestry Service had these plans published for lookout towers over the years. Some are obsolete, sadly, due to better building practices, but I think there are still some good ideas in these
The footprint is 24ft x 21ft with a build surface on top about 15ft square. Total height is about 10ft, and although that's on the shorter end, it's actually doable for an individual
TIL There's a bot that toots clinical trials when they're "suspended, terminated or withdrawn". Might be a good research tool on its own to see certain trends
But seriously, this might actually be something worth revisiting with plenty of adult supervision. I saw a cloud chamber demo when I was around 10, I think. It was the first time I actually thought seriously about science in general
@cypnk I wanted stuff like that soooo badly as a kid but I was coming of age just as science kits were getting safer/defanged. My equivalent was this 150 in 1 kit from Radio Shack
@cypnk This maps pretty closely to population density by state. Maine is the only state on the east coast with a density comparable to great plains states.
I fear a pending collapse in computer literacy. Most kids now only have a phone and/or tablet and those are almost exclusively walled gardens. Apps and filters are amazing black boxes which reveal no hints of their internals
A few of my friends who teach are already lamenting the daily fight to get kids aquatinted with just the basics. Never mind Zoom, just *using* a computer
Current state of remote learning has really exposed the problem
@cypnk I worry about this too. I think computers of today are maybe even less "learnable", as far as what you can easily understand and learn after first powering them on, than they were 20+ years ago. One possible answer I came up with for this is a game-like interactive primer that assumes a basic reading level and teaches basic computing skills, then lets users push deeper into programming, digital media, and simulation concepts. It's been on my backburner for years but lately it tugs at me.